Determination of fatigue lifetimes with a micromechanical short crack model for the high-strength steel SAE 4150

Generalization of microstructural short crack (MSC) growth simulation across different loading conditions and materials is often not considered in literature. These points are addressed by transferring a previously proposed model for crack initiation and transgranular MSC growth from ferritic steel to the martensitic steel SAE 4150. An accurate depiction of the microstructure is achieved by a novel approach to parameterize martensitic tessellations. Calculated fatigue lifetimes are in similarly good agreement with experimental data for martensite as for previously considered ferrite. The model’s transferability is shown among distinct load ratios and between strain- and stress-controlled loading, subject only to small deviations.